Carded package

ABSTRACT

A carded package comprising a container and a card, and a heat shrinkable tube permanently secured to said card. The tube may be secured by either a line of adhesive or a spot of adhesive. Heat is applied to the finished package in order that the tubing will shrink to apply pressure to the container and the card in order to produce a stable attractive package.

United States Patent Spiegel et al.

CARDED PACKAGE Inventors: William Spiegel, Southampton;

Jacob Spiegel, Philadelphia, both of Pa.; Albert Miller, Somerdale, NJ.

Gilbretli Company, Philadelphia, Pa.

Filed: Apr. 28, 1971 Appl. No.: 138,056

Assignee:

US. Cl. 206/80 A, 206/56 AB, 229/D1G. 12 Int. Cl B65d 73/00 Field ofSearch 206/45.33, 56 AB, 206/78 R, 78 B, 79, 80 R, 80 A, 65 S, DIG. l8;229/D1G. 12; 215/37 A; 53/30 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS1/1969 Munck 206/65 S 9/1965 Blish 206/80 R 6/1941 Price [4 1 Oct. 9,1973 3,370,733 2/1968 Giesler 206/80 A 2,841,282 7/1958 De la Fuente206/80 R 3,442,372 5/1969 Carmichael et al 229/1316. 12 3,135,384 6/1964Cozzolino 206/80 R 2,293,072 8/1942 Morrill 206/80 R FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,400,538 4/1965 France 206/80 A Primary Examiner-Samuel,B. Rothberg Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney-Caesar, Rivise,Bernstein & Cohen 57] ABSTRACT A carded package comprising a containerand a card, and a heat shrinkable tube permanently secured to said card.The tube may be secured by either a line of adhesive or a spot ofadhesive. Heat is applied to the finished package in order that thetubing will shrink to apply pressure to the container and the card inorder to produce a stable attractive package. 1

8 Claims, 27 Drawing Figures PATENT EDUET 91973 i 7 4 002 SHEET 10? 6WILLIAM SPIEGEL JACOB SPIEGEL ALBERT MILLER PATENIEIJIIBI 9 I973 WILLIAMVSPIEGEL JACOB SPIEGEL ALBERT MILLER PAIEIIIEII EI m 3.764.002

SHEET 3 UF 6 WILLIAM SPIEGEL I JACOB SPIEGEL I I ALBERT MILLER J74 GJ QWQCVQM v PAILIIIEIII QIQII I 3.764.002

SHEET nor 6 II WILLIAM SPIEGEL JACOB SPIEGEL ALBERT MILLER 234 Q M j 1PMENIEW I 1 3.764.002

IEIA' ILLIAM SPIEGEYL JACOB SPIEGEL ALBERT MILLER V d QW/L M, N I MLPAIENTEUHBT mm SHEEIBIIF 6 WILLIAM SPIIEGEL JACOB SPIEGEL ALBERT MILLERThis invention relates to a carded packageand par ticularly to a noveland highly versatile type of package.

There are, in general, three basic types of packages. The first type ofpackage involves a thermo-formed plastic cup which is either heat sealedonto a card or held between layers of a multi-layer card, usually in anopening. This is commonly referred to as a blister pack.

The second type is called Skin Pack. In this method the product is usedas a mold or die. The extruded thermoplastic shrink film is flowed onthe card in a vacuum and immobilizes the product.

A third type is called Stretch Pack and uses a diecut card with aplastic window. The card is putoveran open mold and a vacuum applied,whereupon the film takes the contour of the mold. The card is thenfolded over the product which is encased between twolayers 1. Due to useof a smaller board, it=requires less shelf space. 2. The product canoften be either spindledor selfstanding.

. 3. A tear tab with perforations can be readily. added to facilitateremoval of the product from the card which is often difficult with theother methods. 4. his useful for large containers which are oftendifficult to package with other methods. Accordingly, it isan objectofthe present invention to provide a carded package which can beproduced at.

high speed and low cost since less card material canbe used;

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cardedpackage which is extremely attractive.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide. a cardedpackage which will readily accept printing or descriptive matter on thefilm material and/or the card.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cardedpackage which is highly versatile and which minimizes the need ofspecial components for each package.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a packagewhich can be suspended from a hook or spindle.

The foregoing as well asotherobjects of the inven- 'tion are achieved byproviding an improved package that comprises a container, a band ofthermoplastic heat shrinkable tubing in contact with one or both of thecontainer and card in order to make a package. The card may specificallyengage the container cap or the container may be simply physically heldto the card by the heat shrinkable band. The card may essentiallyembrace the container or the heat shrinkable band can hold more thanonecontainer to the card. Tabs may extend from the card in order to holdthe container or, alternatively, to hold the heat shrinkable tubing. Thecard may be formed with slots or notches in order to hold the heatshrinkable tubing or the heat shrinkable tubing can be adhesivelyadhered to the card by either a line of adhesive or a spot of adhesive.

In all cases, the package is completed by elevating the temperature suchthat the heat shrinkable band will shrink so that the container, cardand band will be brought together to produce a stable package.

The card may be ornamented or may carry printed matter, suchthat thecard can function as a label. The

tubing can be either seamless or made from film with ing detaileddescription when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a three dimensional view showing afirst embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2-A is a plan view showing a card used for a second embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2-8 is an elevational view showing the card *of FIG. 2-A secured toa container as a package;

FIG. 3-A is a plan view showing another card about to be secured to acontainer;

FIG. 3 B is a fragmentary elevational view, with parts in section,showing fully assembled the'package of FIG.

FIG. 8-A is a view showing a piece of heat shrinkable tubing secured toa card through the tabs of the card;

FIG. 8-B is an elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 9-A is aview ofanother card including slots that are constructed to hold a piece ofheat shrinkable tubing in a manner similar to FIG. S A;

FIG. 9B is an elevational view of the card of FIG. 9-A with a piece oftubing inserted in place;-

FIG. 10-A is a view of another card having a line of adhesive securing apiece of heat shrinkable tubingto the card;

FIG. 10-B is a view similar to FIG. l0-A, but wherein a container hasbeen inserted in the tubing;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10-A but wherein the adhesive isconfined to a limited area of any shape;

FIG. 12'A is a view of a two-ply card having a tongue for holding apiece of heat shrinkable tubing;

FIG. 12-3 is a side elevational view of the card of FIG. 12-A; and

FIGS. l3-A, 13-B and l3-C are views of yet another form of the inventionwherein a coating of heat activatable adhesive is applied to theinterior surface of the heat shrinkable tubing.

Referring now to the various figures of the drawings wherein likereference characters refer to like parts, there is shown in FIGS. 1 to13 various embodiments of the present invention. There are threeelements in each embodiment. First, there is the merchandise, such as abottle, box, tube, vial, can or other container. Second, there is a cardhaving a particular configuration or slot. Third, there is a heatshrinkable tube in the form of a seamless or seamed band out to size.

The heat shrinkable tube may be transparent to permit visibility of thecarded merchandise, but may also be translucent or opaque and of varyingcolors. Also, the heat shrinkable tube may contain printing.

It will be seen that in the first seven embodiments of the invention,the merchandise is initially placed in contact with or adjacent to thecard and then the heat shrinkable tube is applied. In the latterembodiments of the invention, the heat shrinkable tube is initiallyplaced in contact with the card, and then the merchandise is inserted.

The final step in all cases is to shrink the tube in place. The heatshrinking step can be carried out in various ways known to the artincluding the use of a heat gun or a conventional heat tunnel.

Where the term card" is used, it is intended that such a term may bebroadly construed to include not only conventional cardboard, but alsoplastics, metal and other materials used singly or in combination, wellknown to those skilled in the art.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a card secured to a cap andresting upon the neck of a bottle.

It will be seen from FIG. 1 that the package includes bottle 12 havingupper portion 14 that terminates in a neck that receives a cap 16. Cap16 includes lips 17 and 19. The card 18 includes a cut away portion inwhich cap 16 is positioned, and the cut away portion includes ridges andvalleys corresponding to the contours of the cap 16. The card 18 alsoincludes side portions 20 that slip about the cap 16, with the loweredges 22 of the side portions 20 resting upon the upper portion of thebottle 12. The heat shrinkable tubing is simply slipped about theportion of the card 18 and cap 16 and then shrunk in place. Wheredesired, a series of perforations 24 may be formed in the card 18 inorder to enhance the adhesion of the heat shrinkable tubing to the card18.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the card 18 also includes an upper extension22 which may be removed by severance along line 28. The upper portion 26is optional for the purpose of receiving printed information, and caninclude a hole for hanging on a hook or spindle.

In some instances, the side extensions 22 of the card 18 may be extendedcompletely or partially down the sides of the bottle 12.

Reference is now made to package 30 of FIG. 2-3 wherein the bottle orthe cap has a pronounced lip.

The card 32 is shown in FIG. 2-A as possessing a head portion 34, fromwhich extends the cap engaging portion 36 having slots 38 and 40 toreceive the lips of the container or cap. Clearly, where the cap orcontainer has only one lip, then only one of the slots 38 and 40 needbesupplied.

In use, the card 32 is brought in contact with container 42 so that thelips 44 and 46 are received respectively in slots 38 and 40. As shown inFIG. 2-8, the card may be curved as allowed by the contour of the upperportion of the bottle. A heat shrink band 48 is then simply applied inthe same manner as heat shrink band 23 of FIG. 1. It is to be noted thatthe lower edge 50 of the card 32 rests on the shoulder 52 of the bottle42. Also, the card may be preformed to be a three dimensional curve orstraight sided figure. The card may also contain a hole in the upperportion suitable for suspending the package from a hook or spindle.

FIG. 3-A and FIG. 3-B shows a package that is created where the bottleor cap do not have a pronounced lip. Here, the package 60 includes acard 62 having two cut away areas 64 that define a tongue 66 in which isformed a hole 68. The tongue may optionally include flap 70. The cap 72of bottle 74 is seated in the hole 68, with the tongue 66 being wrappedabout the cap 72 as shown in FIG. 3-B. The card may also contain a holesuitable for suspending the package from a hook or spindle.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 4-A, 4-B and 4-C which show anotherembodiment of the invention to create a package where there isinadequate lip area to hold a bottle to the card. In this embodiment ofthe invention, the card 102 includes a narrow depending tongue 104 thatin some cases will have fluted sides 106 and/or openings 108 to enhancethe securement of the card 102 to the bottle 110 having cap 112.

After the bottle 110 and the card 102 are brought together, the heatshrink band 1 14 is positioned about the bottle 110 and the tongue 104and heat is applied in the normal way. In some cases, the fluted sides106 may be dispensed with and replaced by straight edges.

In other cases, the card 102 may include a depending section 116 havingstraight edges which terminate in a somewhat wider bottom portion 118.The heat shrink band is placed about only essentially the middle portionof the package, with the wider portion 118 preventing the heat shrinkband 120 from working its way off the package. In FIGS. 4-A, 4-B and4-C, the upper portion of the card 102 may receive printing.

Where the bottle has a lip, a suitable slot may be provided in the card102, and also the wider bottom section 118 may, in some cases, be bentunder the bottle.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown at in FIG. 5-A wherein twocontainers are secured together and to a card. In the embodiment of FIG.S-A, a can 132 and a bottle 134 are each held against the card 136, andthen a heat shrink band 139 having a width essentially the same as theheight of the bottle 134 is slipped in place about the card 136. Heat isthen applied in the usual manner.

It will be seen that the card 136 may include a wider bottom and/or topsection 138 that essentially forms a notch to facilitate securement ofthe card to the container.

It should also be noted that the devices of FIG. S-B may also include acard that can be bent to the contour of the bottle or container. To thatend, the card 136 may be bent along its longitudinal edges (which areparallel to can 132) as shown in FIG. 5. In some cases, it may bedesired to prebend the card into a three dimensional form, dependingupon assembly techniques that are available. In other cases, the shrinkenergy of the band is sufficient to bend the card to fit the contour ofthe container without prebending or forming.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 6-A and 6-B which show embodiment that iscomprised of two or more panels or, in the case of FIG. 6-A, threepanels. It will be seen that the card 162 includes three panels 164, 166and 168 that are defined by fold lines 170. Each panel includes a largecut away section 172 and depending flaps 174 that can be folded underalong lines 176.

As shown in FIG. 6-B, the card 162 is folded so that it embraces thebottle 178 which has cap 180. The flaps 174 are folded underneath thebottle and act as a retainer. A heat shrinkable bandis simply telescopedabout at least the middle portion of the panels 164, 166 and 168, andthen heat is applied in order to make a compact package wherein thebottle 178 can be seen through the cut away areas 172. This constructioneliminates the need for gluing the sides together and the shrink bandcan cover the top and/or bottom of the package.

Another embodiment wherein the container and the card are firstassembled is shown in FIGS. 7-A and 7-B as embodiment 200 wherein card202 has cut away ears 204 and 206. The upper ear 204 has an opening 208which receives the neck portion of bottle 210 having cap 212.

The lower ear 206 serves to support the bottle 210.

I A heat shrinkable band 214 is simply applied about the card 202 andthe bottle 210 in order to produce an economical package when heat isapplied. A variation of this is illustrated also in FIG. 7-A where thelower ear is eliminated and the lower portion of the card cut off asillustrated, for example, by the line A-A. This makes the packagecapable of standing by itself and not needing a spindle or hook fordisplay.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 8-A, 8-B and 8-C wherein card 232 has atleast one and preferably two cut out flaps 234 that serve to hold heatshrinkable tubing 236 in a manner as best seen in FIG. 8-B. It will beseen that the heat shrinkable tube 236 is slipped between one or both ofthe flaps 234 and the card 232.

Once the heat shrinkable tubing 236 is in place, a bottle 238 is slippedinto the heat shrinkable tube 236 and then heat applied in order toshrink the tubing 236 and complete the package. It will be seen fromFIG. 8-A that a series of indentations assist in breaking the card 232away and separating it from the heat shrinkable tubing 236 and thebottle 238. A variation of this is illustrated in FIG. 8-A where thelower ear is eliminated and the lower portion of the card cut off asillustrated, for example, by the line A-A. This makes the packagecapable of standing by itself and not needing a spindle or hook fordisplay.

Another embodiment 250 of the invention is shown in FIG. 9-A and FIG.9-B wherein the card 252 has cut lines 254 adjacent to the bottom 255.The cut lines 254 connect with open areas 256 that communicate withelongated slots 258. The heat shrinkable tubing 260 is seated in theslots 258 by virtue of the access allowed by cut lines 254 so that theheat shrinkable tubing can be threaded through the cut lines 254, intoopenings 256 and then led into the slots 258. As in FIG. 8-C, the bottleis then slipped into the heat shrinkable tubing and heat applied tocomplete the package.

Reference is now made to FIG. l0-A which shows yet another embodiment280 of the invention wherein the card 282 has applied to one face a thinline 284 of adhesive. The heat shrinkable tubing 286 is simply adheredto the card 282 along the adhesive line 284. As

shown in FIG. 10-B, a bottle 288 is then inserted within the heatshrinkable tubing 286 and heat is applied to complete the package.

In embodiment 300 of FIG. 11, the card 302 has an area of adhesive 304located within the confines of a perforated area on the tubing, by whichheat shrinkable tubing 306 is attached to the card 302. This embodimenthas the advantage of easier removal of the card from the heat shrinkabletubing 306 and its container product allowing the printed tubing toremain on the container to serve as the permanent label of the containeras it would be used normally. Therefore:

a. one card serves as a label and! means for mechanically holding thetube to the card.

b. after removal from card, the tube serves as the standard label of thecontainer.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 12-A and 12-3 which show embodiment 320that includes a one or two-ply card 322 having a cut away tongue 324adjacent the lower portion thereof. A heat shrinkable band 326 isslipped between the tongue 324 and the card 322, and then the containeror product is placed in the heat shrinkable band, followed by theapplication of heat.

As shown in FIG. 12-B, the card 322 is preferably of two plies 328 and330 so that the heat shrinkable band 326 will be held between the plies328 and 330. The upper portion of the card 322 is reserved for printing.The card may be of a single ply rather than two ply.

In another embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B and13C, the adhesive is coated on one or both sides of the heat shrinkablefilm and dried be fore the film 408 is seamed into a tube. The two ends404 of the film are then taken and bent around the card 402 (FIG. 13B)and adhered or heat sealed to the back side of the card forming a loopas illustrated in FIG. 13B to hold bottle 406 against card 402.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, the foregoing examplesillustrate some of the various ways, within the scope of the invention,wherein heat shrinkable tubing may be utilized to combine a card and acontainer.

The heat shrinkable band, in many cases, is easily removed from the cardwithout disturbing the contents. For instance, see the embodiment ofFIGS. 12-A and 12-B which also constitute a package having a lower unitcost and wherein the film acts as a label or an advertisement.

It has been found that the heat shrinkable tube avoids the handlingproblems of the more familiar film. Furthermore, with heat shrinkabletubing, there is no necessity to maintain an inventory of premoldedparts.

In many cases, a narrow heat shrinkable band can be used to secure thecard to the container either in the cap area of around the body of thecontainer. This will greatly reduce the amount of tubing needed comparedto other methods. This is particularly applicable when the adhesivecoated tube is used.

The heat shrinkable band may be furnished with a tear strip for ease ofopening as contrasted with other packages of the prior art which requirethe use of a sharp instrument for opening.

Prior to use, the heat shrinkable tubing can be stored flat in thecollapsed condition in rolls and cut to size as needed, thereby savingspace and reducing inventory. This is also true of the carded band.Furthermore, the card does not necessarily have to be larger than thecontainer as was the case with previous packages.

The heat shrinkable tubing is preferably polyvinyl chloride and can beeither seamed or seamless of any desired thickness. It is desirable, butnot required, for the tubing to have a high degree of shrinkage in theradial direction and a low shrinkage in the longitudinal direction. Anessentially monoaxially oriented film seamed into a tube makes a highlydesirable band material. Such a material will make an attractive packageafter shrinking into place particularly in the case where the bandcontains a printed message. However, it should be understood that othermaterials, such as polyethylene or a polyfluoride or Saran may beemployed, and still other materials will occur to those skilled in theart, the only requisite being that the band or tubing will undergo,adequate shrinking either through the application of heat or otherspecial physical environment.

In some cases, it may be desirable to apply a heat reactive coating tothe interior surface of the tubing, for instance, in the packages ofFIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C. An example of such a heat reactive coating isone that includes, as the active ingredient, ethylene vinyl acetate.This coating becomes active under the application of heat' to create agood cohesive bond with a bottle or other container that will be held bythe heat shrinkable tubing or band. In some cases, the entire interiorsurface will be coated and in other cases, the coating will just beapplied in a pattern or series of bands. While the bottle or othercontainer will be tightly held, nevertheless, the band can still beeasily zipped away in a tearing action.

The band can be made from rolls of film, by machinery which will cut anunseamed strip of film automatically and apply the same onto the cardand the container, then sealing the film into a band. The term band" ortubing as used herein also contemplates this form of the invention.

In all cases, the package, whether held in ajig or fixture, or simplyassembled, is then subjected to an elevated temperature of approximately300 F., but, of course, this temperature will vary in accordance withthe specific nature of the heat shrink band or tubing as well as in viewof the desired elapsed time of heat application. The heating step maytake place in a heat tunnel or the heat may be applied in a jet or byway of a heat gun.

While the band or tubing has been shown and described as having acircular form, in some cases the band or tubing may take on or be givenother forms, such as a square or rectangular configuration.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate ourinvention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge,readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

We claim:

1. A carded package for an article, said package comprising a card and aheat shrinkable empty tube, open ended, and continuous in cross section,including an outside surface, said tube being permanently secured tosaid card by an adhesive material in contact with said card and a singlearea of the outside surface of said empty tube, said package beingutilized for packaging said article by insertion of said article intosaid tube and heat shrinking said tube about said article.

2. The package of claim 1 wherein printed matter is applied to at leastone of said card and tube.

3. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said tube is seamless.

4. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said tube is seamed.

5. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said card containsprinting.

6. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein the card contains a holesuitable for suspending from a hook.

7. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein the adhesive is appliedalong a narrow band.

8. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said area is defined byperforations in said card.

1. A carded package for an article, said package comprising a card and aheat shrinkable empty tube, open ended, and continuous in cross section,including an outside surface, said tube being permanently secured tosaid card by an adhesive material in contact with said card and a singlearea of the outside surface of said empty tube, said package beingutilized for packaging said article by insertion of said article intosaid tube and heat shrinking said tube about said article.
 2. Thepackage of claim 1 wherein printed matter is applied to at least one ofsaid card and tube.
 3. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein saidtube is seamless.
 4. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein saidtube is seamed.
 5. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said cardcontains printing.
 6. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein thecard contains a hole suitable for suspending from a hook.
 7. The packageas specified in claim 1 wherein the adhesive is applied along a narrowband.
 8. The package as specified in claim 1 wherein said area isdefined by perforations in said card.